U of M News Wire: August 30, 2007

 
Big Ten Network kicks off coverage
Network means more Gopher sports on television

By David Ruth
U of M News Wire

If you live and breathe Big Ten sports; if you know all of the schools' colors and mascot names, not just Goldy Gopher; even if you just like to cheer against Wisconsin and Iowa at every available opportunity, there's a new broadcast network for you.
 
The Big Ten Network (BTN) -- a first-of-its-kind partnership between the 11 Big Ten universities and a major television provider -- launched this week, giving conference supporters unprecedented access to Big Ten sporting events. BTN will make conference sports programs available to more than 17 million viewers nationwide.
 
"The new Big Ten Channel will result in higher visibility for Gopher athletics and the entire University of Minnesota both in our state and nationally," said Athletics Director Joel Maturi.
 
For example, all Minnesota football games will have a broadcast home this year. Since the 2001 season, a total of 19 Gopher football games were either not available on ABC, CBS, ESPN, or ESPN2, or were not available at all.
 
The network will also offer increased access to sports that typically have not received much airtime. Coverage will be provided for sports such as baseball, soccer, gymnastics, volleyball, and wrestling.
 
And there will be a dramatic increase in the amount of televised women's sports. More than 60 Big Ten women's basketball games will be broadcast this coming year, doubling the previous average. Within one year, women's sports will comprise half the network's sports programming.
 
Overall, more than 60 Gopher games and events will be aired on the BTN this season.
 
In addition to sports coverage, the Big Ten Network will also provide each university with opportunities to showcase academic breakthroughs, honored alumni, current students, renowned faculty, and academic accomplishments. The BTN also will provide student internships at each school.
 
The BTN will be available at launch time nationwide via DIRECTV, and through local cable companies Hiawatha Broadband and Ace Communications, which serve areas in southeast Minnesota. For more information about the BTN and to find out who is carrying the network in your area, visit Big Ten Network at http;//www.bigtennetwork.com
 
The goal of the Big Ten Conference is to eventually have the network available to everyone who wants it, and the University is hopeful agreements will be reached with other cable providers soon. In the meantime, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association will be working with its chapters to facilitate viewing parties and other activities to help fans watch or attend Gopher sports events.
 
 
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U of M astronomers find gaping hole in the Universe: Dark energy reveals its power by the dawn's (of the universe) early light
 
By Deane Morrison
U of M News Wire

Nothing fascinates Lawrence Rudnick. In fact, the University of Minnesota astronomy professor even teaches a freshman seminar on the concept of nothingness, titled simply "Nothing." But he never expected to discover the biggest nothing of all.
 
Last week Rudnick, along with graduate student Shea Brown and associate professor Liliya Williams, announced the discovery of a void in the Universe a thousand times bigger than any previously found. Empty of stars, planets, galaxies, black holes and even the mysterious, invisible "dark matter," a region so big it would take a light beam a billion years to cross.
 
But it took the world about a billionth of a second to take notice of the find. The discovery hit front pages across the country and abroad, catapulting the three astronomers to sudden fame. It also brought a deluge of e-mails.
 
"I got e-mails from everywhere from Sao Paulo to Iraq, plus several people who wanted to know if they're my relatives," says Rudnick.

Contemplating the void

The newly found empty space occupies a sizable chunk of the visible Universe, Rudnick says. That's the relative space a 1 cubic foot box would occupy in a living room 20 feet by 30 feet by 10 feet. The Universe was thought to have a much more even distribution of stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the mysterious "dark matter" that forms 85 percent of the matter in the Universe but emits no light.
 
The void was found in the constellation Eridanus -- representing an ancient river -- to the southwest of Orion. It can't be seen with the human eye because it's between six billion and 10 billion light-years distant, and the stars of our Milky Way galaxy fill the visible sky in front of it. But if you could see it, it would be huge. It covers an area of the sky about three degrees in diameter, approximately 40 times the area covered by the full moon, say the researchers.
 
"It's really strange there is such an empty region," says Marco Peloso, assistant professor of physics at the U of M. "How do you explain this? It was quite a surprise."
 
The void lies in a direction almost opposite to that of the center of our galaxy. If you were to turn your back to the galactic center--found in Sagittarius, a summer constellation -- and then turn 30 degrees to the left, you would be facing the general direction of the void.
 
Worry about nothing

The researchers found the void using data on the distribution of matter in the Universe supplied by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory from its array of telescopes in New Mexico. But that is a public database, a fact that led to some down-to-earth concerns.
 
"We were worried about being scooped," Rudnick admits. "Our data were available publicly. Anybody could have found what we found."
 
"It was low-hanging fruit," adds Williams.
 
To beat the competition, Williams spent an entire night analyzing data to make sure their interpretation was correct so that the work would be ready to submit for publication the next morning.
 
What nothing means

If the existence and size of the void is confirmed, it will give theoretical astrophysicists plenty to chew on.
 
"It's really strange there is such an empty region," says Marco Peloso, assistant professor of physics at the University. "How do you explain this? It was quite a surprise."
 
"It could just be the first [of its kind to be discovered]," muses Rudnick. Nobody else, he says, has searched for voids using the data his team used.
 
No doubt the void will also figure into Rudnick's freshman seminar, which he will next offer in the spring.
 
"Exploring nothing is extremely fertile ground," he says. "When students are forced to confront nothing it stretches their minds and challenges them in ways they haven't experienced before. For example, a number of students have looked at or questioned the idea of beliefs. What if your own beliefs or other peoples' are based on nothing that has external reality? How do we know what's real and true?"
 
 
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Growing Concerns
A parenting question-and-answer column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota

Question: Our 7-year-old son is always running to one of us to tattle on his brother or one of the other kids in the neighborhood. We don't want to be unsympathetic, but we're getting really tired of it and we think the other kids are starting to get sick of him too.  Is there a way to nip this tattletale behavior in the bud?
 
Answer: All parents have had their kids come running to them with tales of how someone else is bothering them or breaking the rules.  And, as you've discovered, when that happens repeatedly it can be a nuisance for parents and the other kids as well.  Children need to learn to be responsible for their own behavior, but not to appoint themselves as the "police" for the neighborhood. On the other hand, in a world where there is more aggression and bullying than ever, kids also need to know that sometimes it is essential to "tattle." Knowing when to tell and when not to tell is not always easy for parents or children.
 
Repeated tattling, as you describe with your son, can mean several different things.  Tattling often happens in situations where there is rivalry; it can seem to be in a child's best interest to get a brother or playmate in hot water. By making the other guy look bad, a child might think he or she will look good. Sometimes tattling reflects a need for attention or support; children may feel that the only way to get an adult response is to be in trouble. Tattling about small things often is a sign that the child needs help in learning some conflict-resolution skills. That's where you come in.
 
Assuming that the other kids are not really hurting your son, here are some things you might do to help keep the tattling in its proper place:

• Don't rush to the rescue when he tattles unless the situation seems dangerous.
 
• Use the situation as a teaching opportunity, coaching your son in how to handle problems independently.  Suggest what he might say or do with the other kids and encourage him to practice by role-playing with you.
 
• Listen sympathetically and acknowledge his feelings, but don't fuss over him.  Sometimes a child just needs to know that he's been heard, but doesn't really expect any other action on the part of the parents.
 
• Let your son know when he has handled a difficult situation well.  When he comes back from playing with the neighbors, encourage him to tell you about how he resolved any problems that came up.  (And with a bunch of kids together, problems always come up.)
 
• In the long run, teach your child some principles about when to tattle and when not to.  (For example, if someone is in danger, ALWAYS tell!)    

 
Dr. Erickson is a senior fellow and director of the Harris Programs in the Center for Early Childhood Education at the University of Minnesota
 
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 pm, on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com